Restoration Update: 1969 Jaguar XKE

1969 Jaguar XKE Restoration

The 1969 Jaguar XKE restoration is well on its way at this point. On arrival here at the shop, the Jaguar was wrecked heavily in the front. We thought we were going to have to buy a whole new bonnet, but thankfully we were able to pull it and straighten it. The car was stripped down to bare metal to ensure the highest quality of paint job. The XKE is now in its primer stages. It will be primered several times and block-sanded smooth each time until the body is completely straight. Once the body is straight and just where the body shop wants it, the car will be painted back to its original color. We still have a long way to go on this project, so stay tuned and feel free to ask questions or leave comments.

View slideshow to see all 19 photos from this set.

Guest Blogger: Frank Leysen’s Update on Jaguar XK140 Restoration

XK 140 Chassis

We've finally started restoring the XK140. It's taken us a while to get around to it due to so many people asking us to prepare their classic for the summer, delaying work on the XK for several months.

After having prepared the body for the paint job, we braced it up and removed it from the chassis. Right now, it's at the paint shop to have its inner panels re-sprayed. The outer body will get its paint after it's back on the chassis.

XK 140 Chassis

The chassis has been sandblasted and powder coated. It was in remarkably good condition, with only some minor surface rust. No welding was necessary. All of the suspension components have been sandblasted and powder coated as well. The front and rear suspension was reassembled using new rubber bushes and new bolts and nuts. The upper and lower ball joints are new. The rear leaf springs are new, as well as the four shockers (adjustable Spax).

XK 140 Chassis

The rear axle has been taken apart and all the bearings have been replaced. The rear brakes have received new cylinders and brake shoes and the drums have been rectified. The steering rack was disassembled but showed none or very little wear, so we reassembled without reconditioning it. We will convert the car to front disc brakes, so we ordered a kit from Coopercraft.

XK 140 Chassis

I'll do my best to keep you folks informed about the ongoing restoration.

-Frank

Restoration Project: 1969 Jaguar XKE

OUCH! We've got some front-end damage to deal with.

Here's a car we weren't sure would ever see the road again due to accident damage. The first thing we did when receiving this vehicle for restoration was get it on the frame machine and check the severity of the damage to the frame and chassis. What we found was a huge surprise to us as there was no damage at all and the frame and chassis was within spec. This is great news as it means the car will now be going through a full cosmetic restoration.

The view from behind is better.

Besides the accident damage, the car is in excellent original condition with no rust. After a little work here in the shop, the car is now a running, driving vehicle. After many years of sitting, the car fired right up and sounded excellent. We now have all of the bright work and rubber stripped from the vehicle and it's ready to go out for paint and body.

We dig deeper to see what we're up against.

A thorough look at the front-end.

The car will be stripped down to bare metal and a complete show-quality paint job will be performed to get the car back to its original color. Make sure to check back for updates on this exciting project. In the meantime, feel free to ask questions and leave comments.